Blog

Posted on

Led Full Primary: Igniting Your Practice

by: Jessica Lynne Trese

Ekam Inhale…

Two words, two languages, one breath, one practice.

Hearing those two words inspire a moment of spontaneous meditation for me. For a moment, I can feel the mat beneath my feet, I can feel Sharath’s presence on the stage nearby. The grace of surrender floods my system and ease fills my heart.

Surrendering to the pulse of Ashtanga Yoga, surrendering to the pace of the vinyasa count allows me to dive into the waters of the moving meditation. Stilling the mind and calming the body. The next 90 minutes are a concentrated experience of Breath, Bandhas and Dṛṣṭi.

Then rest, peace and tranquility pervade the physical, energetic and mental bodies. Stillness abounds.

The Ashtanga Full Primary.

#takepractice


* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

Conference Notes with R. Sharath Jois – November 2014

Sharath Conference #3
Notes by: Sara Moncivais

Last conference we spoke about three things, asana, breathing, and concentration (drishti). These three things are very important in our practice. Why not bandhas? Uddhiyana, mula, jalandhara bandha. These three, jalandhara means locking the chin, mula is the anus, and uddiyana bandha is below the navel. That is where we lock or contract.

This mula bandha is described in Hatha yoga Pradapika and many texts. These three bhandas, especially mula bandha, is very important. Mula is the source, the base. One verse says, always mula bandha. All the time, when walking, sitting, running, when you shouldn’t do…you know that. Many people come, their first day, oh I want to know all the bhandas! Mula bandha—they don’t even know what it is. People telling, I know some senior student, they giving lecture and they don’t even know what mula bandha is, “Oh, yeah, anus contraction, yeah,” how to do that? How long it will take? What is that?

There’s so many things. The philosophy behind mula bandha no one knows. What is the philosophy behind mula bandha is, that that is the source to control the mind. There’s lots of verses which says, “If you master in mula bandha, even an old person will become young.”

This is another verse that says, “What is the source for this whole existence?” Without the air, nobody can live, fire, earth, ether, space. This fire is very important, without this nobody can survive. What is the source for this fire? I know many of you don’t want to believe in God, because it’s scary, to believe in God. Yeah, I’ve heard it so many times, “Ah, God, I don’t want, no…” So what is the source for this fire? It is the God, the Supreme Energy. This is the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Soul is the source for this fire.

How do you think this is created? There should be someone who created all these things. Created water, created air. Bringing life. This would be some energy, which is there. Energy, we can just feel it, just like yoga. Yoga you do asanas, but real yoga happens within you. Which you feel inside. So, like that is the source for the energy, the fire. What is the source? He’s just giving an example, like how I give all the time, masala dosa. So what is the source for this? To control the mind. Mula bandha is the source.

He says, “Mula bandha, he who masters it becomes the greatest yogi, the king of all the yogis.” Raja yogi means, the king of all the yogis. Many commentaries have been written on mula bandha, it doesn’t come, “Oh, I pay shala fees for one month in Mysore and I practice everyday seriously, but I didn’t find mula bandha,” It’s not possible, like that to get. It’s practice. It takes one year, two years, three years, so then you keep on practicing. Like on English man said, “Practice makes man perfect,” my wife the other day she said, “Man has to work to become perfect, but women are already perfect.”

Let’s say everyone perfect! So, how perfection comes? Only through practice. Nowadays it is all fast, fast food, you get everything fast. Everything is take away, no process to cook, or to do anything. Processing the new generation, they don’t like. Masala dosa to go. The process to make masala dosa is two days process, it’s not one day. They have to grind it, leave it the whole night, it gets fermented, long process. So yoga is also a process which should happen. Mula bandha, asanas also. To master an asana it takes time. You have to give the time, if you don’t give the time you won’t know what yoga is. So everything is mula bandha also, it takes one, two, or three years. It might take longer. Day by day when you practice you become more familiar with your asana practice. Then my grandfather always used to teach—if you go to other yoga straightaway the first day they will teach you ten, fifteen asanas straightaway. That asana, this asana, there’s no method.

Here in this state of yoga we always progress slowly, slowly, step by step. Once we master one asana then we move on to next asana. When we practice two to five years then we can realize what we are doing, until then it is just practice, more physical.

How to realize beyond your physical practice? Once we get more clarity within us, the yamas, niyamas, asana. This one subject itself, it takes forever, to learn the purpose of doing it. So many people, they get very confused. Many people who don’t have proper knowledge of yoga, you can stragihtaway know the difference—people who don’t have in-depth knowledge or experience, meaning once you do asanas for many years with devotion—it just becomes physical. Many people they don’t want to do. Asana becomes ego. Ego because you have ego, already, here what we are doing—yoga—to get rid of this thing. These people who don’t have proper understanding of yoga, you can straight away make out they don’t have experience in the system, in yoga. Straightaway—philosophy anyone can talk with a book, “Oh yeah, this is yoga,” but the in-depth experience is only through practical experience and thoughts which come in your practice, and finding answers within you and through the help of your guru. Then you get better clarity within you. Then better understanding will come. Anyone can quote sutras. Lots of translations in English—they say, “Yeah, I know,” anyone can quote sutras. My son, Sambav, can do that.

What is behind Citta Vritti Nirodah—how to do that? Have you realized that or not? You realize that, you gain Saddanah, in-depth knowledge to realize that. You do Saddanah, then only you get better understanding. Exactly for anything in yoga, as I told you, you can purchase certificate, but that won’t make you a yogi. It’s good to put on your wall and they advertise everywhere, “Yogi! Yogi John,”

Long time back I met one student, a wife of one of my friends, she said, “Oh! I am practicing yoga for four years now,” and she is asking me,” What is this? What is that?” I said, “Your teacher didn’t teach you? “ She said no, “I don’t do ashtanga yoga I do hatha yoga.” Me, “Oh OK, what is hatha yoga mean? Can you explain me?”

“Oh, don’t ask me all those things!” So in five years practicing with someone they don’t even know what hatha yoga means and she is asking all the questions to me. Unfortunately these things are happening, some people learn some asanas, they have bendy body, and they say, “I’m a yoga guru.” You see it in the paper. There’s no respect for the yoga guru, they don’t have any respect.

A guru removes all the darkness within us, all the obstacles within us, and takes us towards the brightness. Towards the jnana—the real brightness which we should have. The spiritual knowledge, removes all the ignorance in us, and takes us towards the brightness. To become a guru, this guru should have this experience for many years. This is called guru-shisha parampara. This is the lineage coming from a parampara. This is what happens when there is no parampara. (Gurus and yogi John’s everywhere, etc.) Paramprara means a teacher, a guru or master, a master, which is totally different from a teacher because their experience is in-depth on some subject. Mastering this technique, a student, devoted, the student also has some responsibilities. “Oh, I was in Mysore, I just wanted to do some yoga so I went to KPJ, I was going to Kerala, just passing Mysore, Kerala to do Pancha Karma,” He will be passing through and will never understand what yoga is.

Someone asked, “How do you recognize your guru?” A wise man asks. How to find the guru, he asks a very big master. The master says, “when you hate your guru when you see him the first time.” Then something in your mind says, “I can learn something from him,” but then something in your mind again resists. Finally, he becomes your guru.

Q&A

Q: What’s the process for developing this mula bandha?

A: There are many asanas. Now you are struggling with uth pluttihi, this is a very big tool. It’s a good tool to improve your mula bandha. Navasana, even jumping through and jumping back, one day I will show you how some people they go to handstand—this is not uth pluttihi—it doesn’t need any strength. As soon as you are mastering it is like flying, you can just jump through. It’s easy. The whole balance of your body will change once there is mula bandha, uth pluttihi is very important—it just means lift up, that’s all. Elevating your body, that’s uth plutthihi, so this one when you practice navasana try to pick up with your whole body off the floor. The feet don’t touch the floor. Once mula bandha comes uddiyana bandha will come. jalandhara bandha is mostly in pranaymana. It stops all the external air, these three bhandas will come. Right now, this things is to do, if you do mula bandha correctly you will find the other two. The source has to be strong. The foundation is not strong, then whatever comes through that will not be strong.

Q: I know of the Sutras, but I don’t know who Patanjali actually is?

A: Patanjali, there will be lots of people suffering with lots of diseases, so if Patanjali takes birth in his form with thousands of heads, people will get scared. That is why he takes form as both a human and serpent. To bring health to the people, the suffering people with diseases (physical or mental), the people are lost with delusion and confusion, lots of ignorance. He comes to preach yoga. Three things he brought is yoga for clarity, for concentration, to bring steadiness to the mind. He brought grammar, without grammar you won’t have better speech and understanding. He brought grammar. To cure diseases, he brought Ayurveda. There are two kinds of yogas— some diseases can be cured by asana practice. Some need Ayurveda.

Without grammar you won’t have better speech, without yoga you can’t have peace of mind, without Ayurveda you won’t have health—there are no side effects in Ayruveda it is all natural. Patanjali brought these three things. In the yoga sutras, yoga was before these sutras also, yoga was always there. The whole universe, the whole existence started and yoga started then. It came before Patanjali. All of this you see, the reminders start coming. Krishna he comes in the Bhagavad Gita and he teaches about yoga, Patanjali comes and he teaches about yoga. In the Bhagavad Gita it says, “Yoga is a very old knowledge and practice, which has come from a lineage, from parampara.” It has come from one generation, guru, to another, student.

There is no time when yoga started. It’s timeless. Why is it timeless? Because yoga can’t be seen, it can only be experienced. You can see me, as soon as I took birth. Yoga is all the experience, which happens within you, if you do in the proper direction with the proper ingredients. If you want to plant a rose plant you have to nourish the earth, the soil, you have to give many things.

If you nourish that soil, then automatically a flower will blossom. If you don’t, the plant will die. Is it not true? You don’t water it or nourish it and it will die. Like that, our body is here and our mind is there. What is the nourishment we have to give for the yoga to happen? Yoga is the flower that blossoms within you. What to do for yoga to blossom? We have to follow yama, niyamas, asana, pranayama. Yamas and Niyamas are very important in our practice, these are the nourishment. Then the yoga will happen. The first four limbs are external exercises. Now I’m doing Dhyana. You can’t say that. Some people want more attention, “Oh yeah, I went to this lady she was doing dhyana!” If you are in the state of dhyana nobody will realize, it happens within you! You can’t advertise, it happens within you! When you are in this state you get absorbed in the deepest meditation, all of your sense organs come together and you go to that deepest state of yoga. Meditation can be focused, drishti can be meditation, that’s all. Dhyana is where you withdraw all your sense organs and everything becomes one. Everything becomes one and you don’t know where you are, then everything becomes clear.

There’s no you and then that thing, everything becomes one. That is again, yoga. Yoga can be described as many things. Self-realization is the perfect word for yoga. Transformation happens when self-realization happens. Transformation happens when you follow yama and niyamas. It becomes clearer, day-by-day and year-by-year as you practice. If the transformation does not happen you are doing something wrong, you are making some mistakes.

Q: Why do injuries happen?

A: There’s lots of reasons. Overdoing it is easy to injure yourself, you do it here and you go home and do it again. You’re doing asana practice you just have to concentrate on asana practice. You can’t go and do bicycling for two hours and then come and do asanas. These are opposite things. When you’re doing asana you don’t need to do anything else. Your body is getting stiffer cycling. Here you are coming and getting flexible. When your body is getting stiff and flexible, stiff and flexible, then you are easy to hurt yourself. Everything in asana practice is opening.

I played lots of cricket when I was young, so when I came back to yoga I could feel that there was so much difference between cricket and yoga. I didn’t play after that. I had to go through so many pains in the practice. When you are getting flexible also you get pain in the body, so many changes. If you go to bad teacher, it is possible to get injured.

You have to allow your body to change. You see someone else doing a pose and oh you want to do!! Then you do and don’t give time for your body to change, then you hurt yourself. You should understand how to use the asanas. You can’t do all the asanas and you have to give time. The more time you give, the more you can perfect. You want perfection or you want to learn 100 asanas without any perfection? I would rather do ten asanas or twenty with perfection.

There’s lots of changes to happen in your body. This process should happen. Sometimes you get pain and it quickly goes away, sometimes you get pain and it doesn’t go away for years.

Once in 93/94, guruji taught me a deep back bending and I wanted to go deeper and deeper. It was eka pada raja kapotasana, you bring the leg behind you and catch the ankle with both hands, I was already deep—my heel was here (he points to his nose)—and I thought, “Oh, I can go deeper,” so I pulled and heard a tear here. I couldn’t lift my hand. The morning it happened, I came home, I could take deep breath, in the evening an institution came and wanted us to give demo. My grandfather said, “Yeah, tomorrow we will give, no problem,” I said, “Who is doing the demo? I’m injured, I can’t lift my hand or breath.” There was no one to do the demo, I had to do the demo. I don’t know how I did, but I did kapotasana. After that for one month I couldn’t move my body—even Surya Namaskara was hard! Sometimes we don’t put enough attention in asana practice. The attention should only be in asana practice, when your mind gets distracted, you’re physically here but your mind is somewhere else, many times you get injured like this.

The whole attention should be on your practice. It’s a kind of meditation also, which you learn and it automatically becomes a meditative practice. All of your attention is towards, “Oh what’s he doing? Oh she’s doing kapotasna,” then you go have coffee and discuss all the asanas. Concentrate on your practice. Put everything into your practice. Do that for one week, two weeks, two months and your practice becomes a meditative practice. You do that and your practice will change, you can feel this is not just physical exercise, but a spiritual practice. So many changes will happen within you when this happens.

I’ve done so many demonstrations. 5,000 or 6,000 people I have seen at demonstrations. As soon as I go to my postures I don’t know what happens around me. I’m not worried about how I can perform the asanas. It took many years of practice like that. Getting up at 1 o’clock everyday and practicing 2 or 3 hours I have developed that. As soon as I come to yoga practice my attention comes to my practice. This is what you have to develop within you. Once you develop that you can go to another level of yoga. You can straightaway experience something different.

Q: 99% of practice is not just for the practice, the yamas and niyamas also.

A: Guruji taught 99% practice but people didn’t understand what he was telling. Guruji’s English was very limited, but he learned so much over the years. Later on he became more fluent, but 99% practice many people think, “I have to do asanas here, I have to go home and do asanas, I have to do asanas there.” 99% practice, they didn’t have proper understanding what it was. The real experience only comes when we practice and we realize what it is.

Posted on

Into The Shadows – the elusive search for happiness in Ashtanga Yoga

A question from a long-time student:

“Some days, the Ashtanga practice leaves me feeling peaceful, light and joyful. Then other days I’m left feeling grumpy, and tight with heaps of unpleasant feelings bubbling up inside. What the h*** is wrong with me?!?!”

Here are my thoughts:

The practice of Ashtanga Yoga shines a light in our hearts, it shines a light on our true Self. And it’s not until this light is shone that our darkest and deepest shadows are finally revealed. They are revealed as a part of the path to healing, a part of the path to happiness, but at first, they are often painful, and they sometimes cause sadness, frustration and/or anger.

Yoga is a practice of turning inward and connecting with the true Self, the light, the divine, the God within each one of us. But first, Yoga asks us to begin by calming our mind, trying to tame the monkey mind.

The monkey mind creates fluctuations in the mind like the ripples created from throwing pebbles into a lake; one thought, one pebble creates ripples that expand outward and continue rippling long after the pebble first broke the surface of the water. If we can start to calm these fluctuations, begin to still the waters of the mind, only then can we begin to see the true reflection of our Self. Only then can the light begin to shine, allowing us to see the shadows lying deep within.

While the initial work of calming the mind is crucial, it really is only the beginning of the journey. Once the mind is calm, then we’re finally able to actually see the shadows which have been buried in the depths of our consciousness. Like debris, which has settled on the bottom of the lake, long forgotten, these shadows are still there, shaping the landscape of our mind, and altering our behavior and thought patterns whether we realize it or not.

Ashtanga Yoga provides an opportunity to dredge this lake of the mind, an opportunity to finally remove the debris which no longer serves us, chipping away at the shadows which cause us suffering, this is the real work of Ashtanga Yoga, and this is the really really hard work of Ashtanga Yoga.

This is also the best work we can do for our Self, the best work we can do for our world.

As these shadows of our consciousness are revealed, in some way, we must re-experience them. We must accept that they are there, and then we have a choice to make. The choice to either continue carrying them around buried within our minds, allowing these shadows to shape who we are. Or we can start to release them, facing them honestly as we begin to clear away the debris, and let the light of the Divine shine on these shadows, filling our hearts and our lives with peace and light.

So, if you sometimes feel grumpy in or after your practice, maybe that’s OK – maybe it can be another way for us to heal if we let ourselves honestly surrender to the process of releasing past pain and suffering. But, it is our choice. We can choose to release the shadows and rise above the suffering of our conditioned minds. Or not, and continue to let these shadows rule our consciousness.

About Jessica

Upcoming Events & Workshops

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

“…and in all earnestness”

In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – THE ‘how-to’ book for yoga, not only do the sutras define Yoga, they also provide a roadmap for our journey, shedding light on the obstacles that will arise and providing us with tools to overcome these obstacles.

In the second sutra, Patanjali informs us what goal of yoga is:
Yogaś chitta vṛtti nirodhaḥ | 1.2
“The restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff is Yoga.”
So basically the calming of the monkey mind is Yoga, this is why we practice. And, the rest of the sutras expound upon this single goal – calming the mind. For most of us though, the calming of the mind is not as simple as just flipping a switch and turning that internal chatter off. For this reason, Patanjali uses the rest of the sutras to show us how to accomplish the calming of the mind.

A few sutras in, Patanjali tells us how we can become grounded in this practice of calming the mind:
Sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantarya satkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ | 1.14
“The practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness.”

Here, the sage Patanjali tells us how to become firmly grounded in the practice of stilling the mind. First, we attend to the practice for a long time, dīrgha kāla. Second, we must practice without break, nairantarya. And lastly, the practice must be preformed in all earnestness, satkārāsevito. The first two requirements are fairly easy to comprehend – practice for a long time (maybe even lifetimes) and without break. But what does it mean to practice in all earnestness?

To me, that is the big question, how do we practice in all earnestness?

To practice Ashtanga Yoga in all earnestness we must practice with devotion, respect, austerity and faith. Each day when we roll out the mat, we must make a choice. The choice to practice with devotion. The choice to practice with respect. The choice to practice with austerity. The choice to practice with faith. Every time the mind begins to wander, we must continually bring it back to the tristhana method. Rising above the ego’s need for praise, and perfection, we practice not to gain poses or to be able to accomplish some physical feat. We practice to learn about ourselves, trying to uncover and overcome our unconscious patterns of conditioning.

When we allow our mind to be immersed in only the breath, the bandhas and the gaze we are able to transform our practice into a moving meditation. This moving meditation is a tool to overcome suffering. It allows us to begin to identify our unconscious conditioning, it allows us to begin to see the ways we bring suffering to others and ourselves. Without this step, we will remain caught in a continual cycle of suffering – samsāra, we will remain caught in the illusions of the ego.

Each day, when we roll out our mats, may we practice as a way to begin to know our Self, as a way to overcome suffering, as a way to bring more peace to the world through our own experience of internal peace.

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco-Retreat, Costa Rica – May 25-31, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

Guru Gratitude

The full moon of July is celebrated with a Hindu festival known as GURU PURNIMA. This is a day honoring spiritual and academic teachers and is mostly celebrated by hindus and buddhists as a way of thanking their teachers.

The full moon of July is also the anniversary of the birth of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, born on this day in 1915. Our beloved teacher, Guruji, the Father of Ashtanga Yoga was born on the day to honor our gurus.

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois a Guru, one who destroys/dispels darkness, the bringer of light, the guide on the spiritual journey of yoga. His eyes sparkled with peaceful joy and his smile invoked inspiration in all. His presence was humbling, comforting, and inspiring. He was a natural teacher and a true representation of yoga. And now, his grandson R. Sharath Jois continues to lead the Ashtanga tradition with honor and grace, our modern Ashtanga guru. Sharath’s teachings are honest and pure, wrapped in humor to inspire and motivate students from around the world, shining light into our hearts through the Ashtanga Yoga practice.

I am thankful for my teachers every day. I hear their words in my practice, inspiring me to roll out my mat, encouraging me to practice kapotasana one more time. And when I doubt the practice, when I doubt myself, I remember Guruji’s message to me “You, you come back, you take practice” and I do.

Thank you Guruji, thank you Sharath, thank you Ashtanga Yoga.

About Jessica

Posted on

Ashtanga Yoga & The Ego


I’m a beginner to Ashtanga Yoga; I have only been on this journey since 2007. I hope to practice for the rest of my life. Already, I know how powerful this practice is. I know I can find peace within my own mind, balance within my own body and light within my heart. I struggled with this my whole life, until I found Ashtanga Yoga. Now, I know balance, ease, presence and grace can exist within me, I see that from my practice. This is why I practice Ashtanga Yoga. These are meditations from my mat.

*I have an Ego. We all have an Ego.

*The Ego blocks me from experiencing the pure BLISS of connecting to my inner light, blocks me from connecting with the essence of the divine within me.

*Ashtanga is HARD, physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically – but, the work of honest and genuine Self-discovery is hard, and that’s what Ashtanga is really all about. It’s not about doing handstands (well, not till third series that is) or other crazy asanas. It’s about learning who I really am, healing the physical, emotional and mental bodies so I can connect to the divine within.

*It’s important to have a ‘constant’ on the journey inward, as in the Ashtanga practice. If the poses are always changing, if the activities are always changing, it can be just be another form of distraction, another way to avoid the deep work of honestly exploring and observing the layers of the Self.

*We all want to be the best student, the best practitioner, the most knowledgeable, etc. but being the best student is not about how much you know, it’s about how much you’re willing to listen, how much you’re willing to learn.

*More often than not the real work comes when we do fewer asanas in our practice, than when we do challenging things like handstands (again, before the practice leads us there). These challenging poses are sometimes SO hard they don’t give us the chance to reside within the stillness of the Self. In the less ‘challenging’ poses we are able to sit with the stillness, and can really see the shadows within the Self and start the deep examination of the Self.

*Ashtanga teaches us to shed our desires of self-promotion/success and allows us to be whom we are in each and every moment, regardless of how we think we should be. Every body is different and the poses look different from person to person, as they should.

*When we release attachment to how we think things should be, we’re better able to experience how things truly are.

*Cultivating presence in THIS moment, and moving on to the next moment seamlessly, without attachment, expectation or judgment.

*This means some days you will float on your mat and catch deeply in all poses. And other days, you will be heavy and stiff, maybe experiencing pain, and will need to modify your practice to accommodate your present capabilities, even if that means doing an abbreviated practice.

*In order to start to chip away at the Ego we must first recognize that it’s there and that it influences our actions.

*The Ego does not dissolve overnight, we start to shed it slowly, a tiny piece at a time, and this is work we do for our entire lives.

*In order to start to shed the Ego we have to observe when it starts to come into play and then make a conscious effort to change our Ego-driven actions. This is the practice; we practice changing our habitual patterns. We practice finding balance. We practice quieting our mind and our body.

*Shedding the Ego is hard work; it’s easier not to try.

*We have to choose to practice, we have to choose to change our Ego-driven patterns even when it’s hard.

*It is hard to change our patterns, but when these patterns are causing us suffering, we need to change these patterns or they will always cause us suffering.

*If I stop trying to shed the Ego, I will cause myself suffering.

*I practice yoga as a means to rise above suffering.

About Jessica

Upcoming Events & Workshops


You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

5 ways to find JOY!! Even when you’ve got the GRUMPS!!

We all have grumpy days, it happens sometimes. You wake up one morning and the day just lacks its usual luster. Where there is usually a warm, glowing, ball of beautiful life giving energy in the sky, you see the sun as merely a hot, bright, blinding headache instead. Not fun. And when you wake up feeling bummed it can easily change your entire day – usually for the worse.

What’s a normally happy human to do when all you’re feeling is grumpy?

 

Try these techniques and see if you can change your perception and as a result, change your grumpy mood into one that is a little brighter and more enjoyable!!!

  • 1. Change your scenery and get out in nature!!
    Just a few moments in nature can alter your mood significantly, find a beautiful spot to sit and breathe, even if you only have five minutes. Absorb the sunlight, observe the colors and textures painted on our earth, breathe in the fresh air and feel your connection to your surroundings! Can’t get outside today, that’s ok, just PRETEND!!!! Close your eyes and imagine a beautiful place in nature, maybe some place you’ve been before, or maybe some place you’re dreaming of visiting. Find a quite place to sit for five minutes, close your eyes and let your imagination paint a scene in nature for you to absorb and observe. Notice the colors of the landscape, imagine the sounds you would hear, and let yourself find stillness.

    •  

  • 2. Spend time with people you love!
    Take a couple of minutes to call, text or visit with a friend or family member you care about. Ask them about their day, tell them you love them or send them a wish for success in their day. Sometimes stepping out of your head to connect with someone else is all you need to start feeling a little better!

    •  

  • 3. SING!!!!
    Turn up your favorite song and let it out!!!!!! Find a place where you can have privacy and let yourself get lost in a few of your favorite songs. Be silly. Dance. Sing. And don’t worry about how it sounds, how it looks or whether you’re singing the same words as the artist – just let yourself have fun and enjoy the experience of connecting to music!

    •  

  • 4. Go for a walk!
    Whether it’s for five minutes or one hour, physical activity can change our state of mind for the better.

    •  

  • 5. Do something nice for a stranger!
    Random acts of kindness can really help elevate your mood, so even when you’re feeling grumpy, practice a random act of kindness and it might help elevate your mood. Hold the door open for the person behind you. Let someone go ahead of you in line at the store. Smile at a stranger.

No one really like being in a grumpy mood, so when you notice your mood starts to sail south, try to take steps to counter your mood and you might find you can rise above that grumpy mood before it ruins your day.

A yoga practice can show us the power of our perception. When we practice asanas (yoga postures) we are able to see how altering our view of a situation can change our experience. Suddenly a frustrating experience turns in o a beautiful opportunity to learn more about yourself, and the experience transforms from something you were resisting to something you’re embracing.

That’s pretty awesome, if we can learn to control our perception, we can ultimately control our reality, at least on some level that is. We learn to change our responses to events, feelings and even start to appreciate the lessons in the most challenging situations.

 

About Jessica

Upcoming Events & Workshops


You Might Also Enjoy:

  • Yoga and the quest to Know it ALL!!!
    Yoga is a journey of Self-Discovery, a journey of knowledge. And along this path we will learn a LOT. The journey inspires curiosity and awakens a ‘thirst’ for knowledge within the practitioners…
  • Standing up from back-bending – a lesson in vulnerability
    The Ashtanga Yoga practice is an intense practice of Self-Discovery and HEALING and the journey is unique for each person. This practice is not only physically demanding, it’s emotionally demanding as well…
  • Keeping Guruji With You When You Practice
    Last summer, in one of Sharath’s conferences, he was talking to us about the importance of practicing with one teacher, when a student asked ‘What if jobs, family and finances won’t allow us to make it to Mysore to practice with you every year?’….
  • The Heart of Ashtanga Yoga: The Tristhana Method
    Asthanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for practitioners to practice releasing these distractions and focusing the mind on one single point. Thus, leading students on a path of Self-discovery…..
  • Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice. Seriously, it REALLY is!!!!
    Walk in to any Mysore class around the world and the first two things you will probably notice are the breath and the postures. All the students in the room are moving at their own pace, with focused minds, graceful movements and the same deep, steady and even breath. There is a rhythm to this breath. It has an almost hypnotic quality, continually drawing students inward to the present moment. Allowing them to experience their yoga practice for all it is in each moment…
  • The Seven Words That Changed My Practice
    It was 2008, I was traveling in India for the first time and immersing myself in Ashtanga Yoga. I’ll be honest, when I first traveled to Mysore, I was not a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner. I LOVED Ashtanga Yoga, I just didn’t practice it 6 days a week. Yet, I was ready to dive in and see what it would be like to commit to the daily Asthanga practice.
    At this time, Guruji was still with us…

 

 

Posted on

The Grateful Game – Gratitude As A Daily Practice

by: Jessica Lynne Trese (Moore)
Gratitude is a beautiful practice, it enriches your life, deepens your connection with others, and brings peace to your heart. It’s a daily practice.

I like to call my daily practice The Grateful Game!!!! I’ve done this for years, and when my partner and I first connected, I brought him in on the game too.

Every night, after the dishes are done, as we’re starting to wind down, we share at least three things we’re grateful for. Some days there are obvious things to be grateful for, maybe a job promotion, or a birth in the family, or sharing time with a beloved family member.

And some days, it’s harder to find the lesson of gratitude, it might be that you were shown one of your own faults and can see that you’d like to change it; or knowing when to put an argument on hold and admit you love each other; or a challenge at work that tests your patience.

This practice, reminds us that no matter what goes on, there is always something to be grateful for, there is always a way to find gratitude.

Gratitude in the smile from a stranger. Gratitude in the opportunity to accept differences in others with no judgments, or at least the opportunity to try. Gratitude for the opportunity to rest and try again tomorrow. Gratitude for seeing places in your life where you can grow. Gratitude simply for the sake of gratitude.

Gratitude is a practice, and some days are easier than others. As with any practice, the more you do it, the easier it gets. And when we surround ourselves with gratitude, it can permeate to those around us, filling their hearts with gratitude too!

Practice gratitude every day. And you will live every day with much to be grateful for.


* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – May 25-31, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

Yoga and the quest to know it ALL!

Inspired by Conference with R. Sharath Jois

11/10/13 – Mysore, India

Yoga is a journey of Self-Discovery, a journey of knowledge. And along this path we will learn a LOT. The journey inspires curiosity and awakens a ‘thirst’ for knowledge within the practitioners. We learn about our bodies, we learn to stretch our limits both physically and mentally and we learn to perform seemingly impossible feats of the body through its physical manipulation.

We also begin to learn more about our selves – what makes us happy, what makes us sad, what pushes us out of our comfort zones and we can even begin to identify our typical ‘programmed’ responses. Additionally, yoga teaches us to be a witness to our own actions, to see the way our actions impact our environment and the people around us.

Often, this perspective gives us the inspiration to learn EVEN more, to try to understand our place in the world and why people exist in the way they do.

This path of Self-discovery leads many practitioners to begin to learn and explore many new disciplines that seem to align with the practice of yoga, including Yoga Sutras, Philosophical studies, Ayurvedic medicine, Reiki, Meditation, Sanskrit Chanting, – just to name a few. These are extremely healing and powerful practices that open the doors of knowledge even wider, providing a flood of information for the practitioner to integrate into their daily lives, this is information that can also be used to help others along their own path of healing.

While, as students begin we to heal ourselves, and maybe we even start to help others heal along this path of Self-discovery; it can be easy for some to fall into the mindset of thinking they ‘know it all’.

In conference this week, Sharath was talking about what it’s like being a student, he mentioned the tendency for students to feel as if they know everything, and shared his insights with us. Please keep in mind, I’m paraphrasing what Sharath explained here – when I know there is more for me to learn, then the door to knowledge is opened. The man who thinks he knows everything cannot grow, because in his eyes, there is nothing left to know. While the man who knows everything, would never admit he knows everything, he will always be searching, exploring, and seeking to uncover more truth.

To me, this is a beautiful perspective. The idea that we will ALWAYS be learning, and that we are not expected to ever know everything is very liberating!!! Acknowledging that we will be wrong sometimes, that we WILL make mistakes, and that making mistakes is ok, it’s part of our process as humans; we make mistakes, we hopefully learn from them (eventually at least), and because of these mistakes we learn, we grow, and then we make different mistakes!!!

The more we learn and discover on this journey the more we see we have much still to learn. Embrace your knowledge, and at the same time, celebrate the opportunity to continue learning, to continue growing, and to continue exploring. The ability to change, adapt, grow and evolve is an amazing quality we humans possess – Let’s celebrate the fact that we can change – we can grow, and we can spend the rest of our lives doing just that, while making a few mistakes along the way!!

About Jessica
Teaching Schedule

Upcoming Workshops:

You Might Also Enjoy:

  • Standing up from back-bending – a lesson in vulnerability

    • The Ashtanga Yoga practice is an intense practice of Self-Discovery and HEALING and the journey is unique for each person. This practice is not only physically demanding, it’s emotionally demanding as well. The practice leads students inward, toward their TRUE SELF, allowing them to live happier, more honest and peaceful lives. On this journey, students will no doubt encounter painful, challenging and even frightening moments. It is in these moments when we really learn the most about our self. It is through these painful, challenging and frightening moments when the real yoga happens and we can start to break down the conditioned patterns that we need to let go…

  • Keeping Guruji With You When You Practice

    • Last summer, in one of Sharath’s conferences, he was talking to us about the importance of practicing with one teacher, when a student asked ‘What if jobs, family and finances won’t allow us to make it to Mysore to practice with you every year?’….

  • The Heart of Ashtanga Yoga: The Tristhana Method

    • Asthanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for practitioners to practice releasing these distractions and focusing the mind on one single point. Thus, leading students on a path of Self-discovery…..

  • Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice. Seriously, it REALLY is!!!!

    • Walk in to any Mysore class around the world and the first two things you will probably notice are the breath and the postures. All the students in the room are moving at their own pace, with focused minds, graceful movements and the same deep, steady and even breath. There is a rhythm to this breath. It has an almost hypnotic quality, continually drawing students inward to the present moment. Allowing them to experience their yoga practice for all it is in each moment…

  • The Seven Words That Changed My Practice

    • It was 2008, I was traveling in India for the first time and immersing myself in Ashtanga Yoga. I’ll be honest, when I first traveled to Mysore, I was not a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner. I LOVED Ashtanga Yoga, I just didn’t practice it 6 days a week. Yet, I was ready to dive in and see what it would be like to commit to the daily Asthanga practice.
    At this time, Guruji was still with us…

Posted on

Standing up from back-bending – how I overcame my fears

When practicing Ashtanga Yoga in the Mysore room, students begin a deep and intense series of back-bending toward the end of Primary Series. It begins by doing your back-bends on the floor (urdhva dhanurasana) and then standing-up from this position. Next you learn how to move backward from a standing position to land in urdhva dhanurasana, and then come back up to a standing position again. And then repeat. And then repeat.

This was a HUGE challenge for me. For a while, I thought I would never be able to do it.

The Ashtanga Yoga practice is an intense practice of Self-Discovery and HEALING and the journey is unique for each person. This practice is not only physically demanding, it’s emotionally demanding as well. The practice leads students inward, toward their TRUE SELF, allowing them to live happier, more honest and peaceful lives. On this journey, students will no doubt encounter painful, challenging and even frightening moments. It is in these moments when we really learn the most about our self. It is through these painful, challenging and frightening moments when the real yoga happens and we can start to break down the conditioned patterns that we need to let go.

It is in these moments that we are able to grow as humans, for if we truly want to heal and move past the pain in our life, we have to stop locking it tightly inside our hearts, we have to let it rise to the surface. We have to stop denying its presence. Only then can these destructive patterns finally be released.

When I first began dropping-back a few years ago, I was fearless. I fell on my head, I jammed my fingers, I fell on my butt, I fell forward onto my knees – and, I still kept doing it, everyday. To me, it was fun; it was an adventure – ‘what’s going to happen this time’?!?! And eventually, I was able to control my decent and land in urdhva dhanurasana consistently, and sometimes even gracefully.

But, when it came to standing up from the back-bends I just couldn’t do it. I was terrified. And worst of all, I had no idea why I was so scared of this part of the back-bending sequence. I understood the mechanics of what I wanted to do; I just couldn’t find the path within me to articulate the movement. There was something blocking me, something beyond physicality. Something within me was holding me back.

Then, one night I dreamt of my practice. In my dream, I was practicing in Mysore, India with Guruji and Sharath in the room. When it came time for my back-drops, Guruji looked in my eyes and simply said ‘No fear, you stand up.’ My dream was so vivid, so real I can still clearly remember his voice, the look in his eyes when he said this to me. So, in my dream I took a big breath in, dropped back to my hands and then… I did it. I stood up from my back-bend!!!! Somehow, in my dream I found the way to send my pelvis forward, and engage my legs so I could stand on my own from back-bending. It was amazing!!!

I awoke with a wonderful feeling in my heart, I felt Guruji had come to me in my dream to help me. I had his guidance to show me I really could do it. And it was simple, ‘no fear, you stand up’. I was excited to practice that day, I was excited to see how my body responded to this new sub-conscious experience. At the same time, I wondered why I was so afraid of standing up for myself.

I was afraid to stand up for myself.

That was it, once again the practice shed light on a part of my life, a part of my heart, I had been avoiding up until now. I’ve always been nervous about standing up for myself and my feelings. I have always been unsure about sharing what’s in my heart. I’m afraid I won’t be able to convey my message clearly. I worry about what others will think of me. I afraid people will judge me for speaking up for myself. I worry people will see me as selfish or egotistical. I afraid of being told what I’m feeling is wrong.

It was then that I realized I was smothering this part of heart, the part that needed to speak-up, the part that needed to be heard. All because I was afraid of what other people would think. This pattern has been with me since childhood, I was taught that my feelings were wrong, I was taught not to trust myself, not to trust my heart.

But, the practice has allowed me to clear away the chaos of the mind (at least a little bit) so I am starting to find the confidence to share my heart in a way others can understand. The practice has allowed me to look inside my heart, inside my Self, to start to see who I really am – instead of seeing who I thought everyone else wanted me to be.

Finally, I’m starting to learn that it’s absolutely perfect to just be me.

I’m beginning to find the openness, the freedom that comes with letting myself be vulnerable and completely my SELF. And it is AMAZING!!!!!! And, I can also stand up from back-bends now, but it’s not about the poses, it’s about the experience, the JOURNEY inside that really matters.


* About Jessica

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

Keeping Guruji with you when you practice

Last summer, in one of Sharath’s conferences, he was talking to us about the importance of practicing with one teacher, when a student asked ‘What if jobs, family and finances won’t allow us to make it to Mysore to practice with you every year?’ The essence of Sharath’s answer was this: When you can’t practice with your teacher, place a picture of Guruji wherever you are practicing and he will be there. Sharath’s answers may seem simple, but they are truly powerful.

I often practice by myself, with no teacher. This leaves me on my own to complete my practice, to find the motivation to do each vinyasa, to find the stillness to practice breathing and presence in each moment. And honestly, it’s really hard sometimes. Sometimes I don’t want to practice, sometimes I feel doubt, and yes, sometimes I feel pain. Then I hear Sharath’s words: ‘place a picture of Guruji where ever you practice and he will be there’ and I practice anyway, with Guruji’s eyes smiling at me from his photo.

On my first trip to Mysore I met Guruji. He touched my heart, changed my practice and changed my life with only a few words. I’m so grateful for the moments I had with Guruji. And the teachings I’ve received from Sharath are priceless, I hear his voice when I practice, I remember his encouragement, I see his smile.

In the grand scheme of things, our daily asana practices are the steps along the journey of Self-discovery that is Yoga. Asthanga Yoga is a journey inward, a journey to reveal your true Self. Along this journey, we will feel pain, we will experience doubt, frustration, and we might even cry. We will also find stillness, release anger, grow and evolve in ways we never dreamed possible. But we will only reap the benefits of this practice if we actually do it, if we actually practice.

And then, in the midst of those feelings of doubt and frustration, when we’re able to roll out our mat and practice anyway; the benefits of the practice are able to fill our heart, to fill our life!

And so, I practice. Even on the days I have doubt. And especially on the days when I just don’t want to. I roll out my mat, and light a candle beside Guruji’s picture and I practice. I see Guruji’s smile, I remember his words and I see the joy in his eyes and along with Sharath’s teachings woven into the fabric of my practice, I am able to continue a daily practice. I’m able to continue along this path of Self-discovery.


* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – September 1-7, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

The Heart of Ashtanga Yoga: The Tristhana Method

Ashtanga Yoga: A Moving Meditation

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
Rolling out your yoga mat is not always easy. Life is filled with thousands of distractions and responsibilities. As if that wasn’t enough, the mind has this amazing ability to create even more ridiculous distractions on top of all the real world worries of life. Given this, the idea of ‘quieting the mind’ can sometimes seem impossible! Despite all the distractions that manifest in life, the Asthanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for practitioners to practice releasing these distractions and focusing the mind on one single point. Thus, leading students on a path of Self-discovery.

The practice of Ashtanga Yoga combines three elements; three focal points known as the Tristhana Method. This three-pronged method allows the mind to be focused in the present moment and creates internal space for the body to be grounded. In the Ashtanga Yoga Method, the breath, the gaze and the postures are intricately woven together throughout the entire practice, leading students on this path of self-discovery by turning the senses inward.

Ujjayi Pranayama (breath), Asanas (postures and bandhas) and Dristi (gazing point) actively draw the senses inward allowing practitioners to move through the Asthanga series with complete awareness and presence, transforming the physical asana practice into a moving meditation.

The Tristhana method sets Asthanga Yoga apart from other systems of yoga. This focused energy is the gateway to the spiritual side of yoga. It is the doorway to Self-discovery!! By calming the mind through the Tristhana method, we are able to truly explore the layers of the Self without the delusions and distractions of the mind.

When you roll your mat out today, release your self-expectations, release you self-judgements. Dive in to the essence of the Tristhana method; continually drawing your mind and your senses back to the breath, the gaze and the postures. Continually drawing your mind back to the Tristhana method and the present moment. Continually reconnecting to your Self.

Contact Jessica to Book Today
Contact Jessica to Book Today

* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – May 25-31, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

What’s so great about Mysore?!?!?!

Mysore is AWESOME, here are a few reasons why!!

This method of practicing yoga is unique, amazing, powerful, empowering, healing, transformative, personalized, safe and ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!

Yes, Mysore classes can seem intimidating, elusive, even just down right confusing! Students who walk into the practice room for the first time might feel overwhelmed seeing all the students breathing and moving, deep in their own meditative practice, AND some of them are doing some really CRAZY asanas (postures)!

But, the truth is, Mysore Style is simple, pure and AMAZING!!!! Here are just a few of my favorite reasons:

You get to go at your own pace – this is HUGE!!!! You don’t have to keep pace with the teacher or the class; you can go at your own pace, whatever that feels like on that day!! Are you feeling super tired and run down, looking for a more therapeutic practice – you got it!! Are you feeling super jazzed and ready to tear your mat up – GO for it!!!

You don’t have to be on time – wait, what? Yes, that’s right, you arrive when you can and leave when you’re done!! The Mysore room will be open with a teacher for a block of time (generally 2-3 hours) and you come when you can to do your yoga practice, and leave when you’re done!!! How great is that?!?!?!

Your teacher teaches just to you, giving you a personalized approach to the Ashtanga Yoga method – This is a self-paced class, with one teacher in the room. This structure allows the teacher to be able to teach each student one-on-one! It’s like a private lesson, with the collective energy of a group class!!!

Ashtanga is a comprehensive practice – asana, pranayama, meditation even a little bit of chanting, all in one class!

Ashtanga is a practice of efficiency – combining all of these yogic practices into a 90ish minute practice allowing you to still have a family and a life while still living the yogic lifestyle.

Ashtanga is truly a class for ALL levels – since you receive individualized instruction from your teacher, this class honestly is appropriate for ALL levels!!! Whether you’re brand new to yoga or if you can throw your leg behind your head with ease, you’ll find a class that’s exactly what your body needs that day! Come and you’ll learn pose by pose, as your body opens and you will learn new, fun and challenging asanas as your body is ready!!!!

Ashtanga is a traditional practice – The Ashtanga Yoga Method has been around for a LONG time. Many teachers and students have practiced this method over the years, proving the healing benefits of the practice.

Try it today, you’ll learn a practice you can take with you anywhere, a practice for life!!

* About Jessica


* Ashtanga Eco-Retreat – Costa Rica May 25-31, 2016


* Upcoming Events & Workshops

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice. Seriously, it REALLY is!!!!

by: Jessica Lynne Trese
Walk in to any Mysore class around the world and the first two things you will probably notice are the breath and the postures. All the students in the room are moving at their own pace, with focused minds, graceful movements and the same deep, steady and even breath. There is a rhythm to this breath. It has an almost hypnotic quality, continually drawing students inward to the present moment. Allowing them to experience their yoga practice for all it is in each moment. And then, allowing them to move on to the next moment without attachment to what has come before or what may be coming next.

“Ashtanga Yoga is a breath practice, the rest is just bending.” One of Guruji’s famous quotes. A student who first hears this from their teacher might be confused, frustrated or just roll their eyes. It is hard to imagine a practice that is so physically demanding can be simplified into ‘a breath practice’. It is a practice in controlling the breath. A practice in presence. A practice in being able to keep your breath steady, even and regulated no matter what position your body may be in.

That is why we do all the crazy asanas!! That is why we try to bind our hands in Marichyasana D, pull our feet behind our heads in Supta Kurmasana, and grab our heals in Kapotasana.

We put ourselves in challenging, uncomfortable and awkward situations on our yoga mats so we can practice breathing. Practice detachment. Practice presence in each moment. And, so we can develop the discernment to maneuver through these challenging, uncomfortable and awkward situations on our yoga mats with poise, grace, ease and hopefully without causing ourselves pain.

We practice this daily.

We practice this, so when we are in challenging, uncomfortable and awkward situations in life we are able to access some of this same poise, grace, and ease we have cultivated on our yoga mats. So we are able to breathe and hopefully maintain a clear mind and compassionate heart.

Sometimes life is going to be uncomfortable, and even painful, just as our physical asana practice can be sometimes. That is unavoidable. The Ashtanga Yoga method provides an opportunity for us to practice the way we manage these situations, by practicing breathing in all of those crazy postures. The physical asanas are the tools we use to practice breathing.

Practice BREATHING each day!











* About Jessica

* Ashtanga Eco Retreat – May 25-31, 2016

* Upcoming Events & Workshops

* Apprenticeship Program

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

Surrendering to love

It seems simple enough. Giving yourself up to possibly the most powerful experience in life… Love.

BUT, it’s just not that easy.

It can be tough to move past the walls we’ve built, to move away from the pain, or hurt or fear. Sometimes it can be hard to let yourself experience love. To let yourself be vulnerable enough to really experience L-O-V-E. Life can leave its scars on us, scars we sometimes can’t even see. Scars that can keep us from following our heart, from taking that risk, from following that dream. But there is HOPE!

It is possible to move beyond the pain, it’s possible to open your heart again, no matter how closed off it might be.

It starts by surrendering. Letting go of expectations. Accepting each moment for all that it is, even when it’s not what you want it to be. Letting yourself be vulnerable. Letting yourself open. It will probably be hard at first; actually it will probably be REALLY hard at first. But one moment of surrendering can lead to another, and another, and then one day, another. And then, almost divinely, you find yourself experiencing love in each and every moment. Suddenly, love can fill your actions and fill your thoughts. You may find yourself looking up to the trees and experiencing love as the leaves dance and play in the breeze. You’ll start seeing love in the faces of strangers. Hearing it in the raindrops. You’ll feel love EVERYWHERE, and that is SUCH an amazing feeling!

Let yourself surrender to love, surrender to the rhythm of life.

About Jessica

You Might Also Enjoy:

Posted on

OUCH!!!! When your yoga practice HURTS!!!

It’s been about six months, and I have been experiencing a string of injuries and ongoing physical pain in my body, my yoga practice and in my daily life. Consisting of a hamstring injury, a low back injury, knee pain, and continual discomfort on the entire left side of my body, and you know what?!?! It SUCKS!!!!

Using yoga as a method to explore my body (and my life), I have continued my daily practice. It is through this practice that I have begun to do the seemingly impossible!!!! I am actually beginning to feel genuine gratitude for my injuries! That’s right, gratitude!!!

Yoga is a practice of Self-discovery, a practice of presence, a practice of accepting your Self for who you are in each moment, flaws and all. Teachers and practitioners alike will confirm, emotional pains and blockages can and DO manifest themselves physically (usually as pain or excessive tension) in our bodies, and the practice of yoga brings these up to the surface for us to experience and hopefully one day release. And this physical pain is giving me a beautiful opportunity to explore and release some of those blockages!

After all, it is only when the light shines on a dark room that we are finally able to see the room’s shadows.

Practicing Ashtanga Yoga gives students a unique experience – a ‘constant’ in our daily lives. By practicing the same poses day in and day out, we are able to actually feel and experience the subtle and sometimes dramatic changes in our body that happen day-to-day. This provides students with an opportunity to cultivate a sense of objectivity and non-attachment to these daily changes allowing us to clearly see the areas where we have the opportunity to evolve and grow. And that’s what it’s all about.

And so, I keep practicing. Every day. Opening myself up and accepting the challenges presented to me. Acknowledging the times when I close my heart off. Accepting that even though I practice the same poses each day, they’re not going to feel the same every day. This is why I practice. It is this objectivity, this path of Self-discovery that makes yoga what it is.

Ideally, our yoga practice would feel like a dream everyday but it doesn’t… The trick is to keep practicing. Some days it might just be Sun Salutations but keep practicing. The only way to continue along our path of Self-discovery through yoga is to continue it.

You might also enjoy:

Posted on

‘Trying to Find a Balance’

A beautiful narrative about beginning the Mysore practice and surrendering into the depths of your Self!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-penny/yoga-practice_b_2444114.html

Mysore is a traditional method of training Ashtanga yoga. It’s not the typical instructor-led homogenized yoga class you get from a Bikram studio or gym chain. Mysore remains pure to the intended roots of yogic study. Mysore classes have start and end times so you know when the room is open, but it’s run like I’d expect from a traditional studio or dojo. If yoga were The Karate Kid, Mr. Han teaches Dre Ashtanga to compete with Master Li’s Bikram protégé (Mr. Miyagi, Daniel San, and Cobra Kai, respectively, if you’re stuck in the ’80s).

I showed up for my first Mysore session at White Orchid in Tampa Bay. As I sat in the hall, mentally preparing to begin my training, a surprise greeted me in the form of Ally Ford. The instant I felt her energy, I knew I was in the right place. I felt a genuine warmth and kindness in her that told me everything I needed to know in order to traverse the grueling path I’m facing over the next six months. Ally believes in what she does, and she’s passionate about guiding others along her path of enlightenment. There’s no way our story ends that doesn’t include her becoming one of the great teachers of my life’s journey. It’s an important role, so I casted it carefully. We’d only spoken online and over email thus far, but meeting Ally in person felt like meeting an old friend I’d known my whole life. I instinctively look for the strengths and weaknesses in people. Ally is a soldier. I can see it in her eyes.

That incidental meeting was all it took to drop the weight off my shoulders as I walked barefoot into the studio to lay out my mat and begin my practice. I sat, gazed at the orange wall in front of me, and lost myself in the dreams I had of this wall years ago. This is the place I’m going to balance my center and tap into the power of my true potential. I had a vision of myself crumbling in front of this wall. That’s when Jessica Lynne knelt beside me to greet me… KEEP READING

Posted on

Meditation in Music

Sometimes it only takes a few beats and you know!! Your eyes widen and your heart begins to patter to the rhythm of the music. Turn the volume up and begin to let yourself get lost in the moment of the music. Music can take you away, it can tell a story of your heart, and it can move your body to it’s beat. Music crosses boundaries, allowing strangers to connect with each other in a unique and honest way. And it is within the melody, through the surrender to the rhythm in which we’re able to let go of it all and just listen, just experience this moment, to meditate in the present moment.

Meditation occurs in many forms, and has countless benefits! It is presence. Presence in each moment, like counting the beads of a mala, as the fingers move from bead to bead, in meditation we move from moment to moment deliberately, moving into the next moment once the previous one has been experienced, we move forward without attaching to the previous moment and entering the next with presence and honesty. Like the beats of a melody, we allow ourselves the experience of presence in each and every moment.

Meditation allows us to surrender to the moment, to life, allowing us to see and experience each moment honestly and openly, moving forward into the next moment with an open mind and an open heart!

Meditate today. Allow your Self to let go, to connect with the music and the rhythm of life! Whether you’re cleaning the house while your favorite song comes on, sitting at the bus stop with the sounds of the street, or sitting in a quite space for your meditation practice. You can practice meditation every day and at any time.

Practice, it will get easier!

You Might Also Enjoy:

The Seven Words That Changed My Practice
10 Reasons You’ll Love Mysore Style
Yummy Vegan & Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on

The Seven Words That Changed My Practice…

It was 2008, I was traveling in India for the first time and immersing myself in Ashtanga Yoga. I’ll be honest, when I first traveled to Mysore, I was not a dedicated Ashtanga practitioner. I LOVED Ashtanga Yoga, I just didn’t practice it 6 days a week. Yet, I was ready to dive in and see what it would be like to commit to the daily Asthanga practice.

At this time, Guruji was still with us, openly sharing his energy and his knowledge with hundreds of students each day. I remember when I went to the office to register for the first time, I was speechless. It was an incredible experience to simply be in his presence. His eyes were so filled with kindness, love, knowledge and compassion; and he touched my heart with his smile.

Each day, I practiced with Sharath, allowing myself to experience this beautiful practice from the source. I felt great. I was really connecting to the Ashtanga Yoga method, yet nearing the end of my first month in Mysore, I was unsure if I would be able to commit solely to Ashtanga Yoga upon my return to the States. I just wasn’t sure.

One day, waiting in the lobby for Sanskrit class to begin, I was sitting on the bench as Sharath was walking with Guruji to the front stage. When they passed the door, Guruji looked at me with his kind soulful eyes and he points to me and says ‘You, you come back, you take practice.’

I was left speechless once again! With my mouth agape I gasped ‘ok’ and frantically shook my head. It was in that moment that my committed relationship with Ashtanga Yoga was really born. I was in for the long haul. I already felt amazing physically, and knew the practice had healed countless students through the years, and those seven words from Guruji sealed the deal. This would be my practice. I would commit.

I’m still practicing Ashtanga Yoga, 4 years later, 6 days a week. There are days when I don’t want to, and there are days when I doubt the practice. It’s on those days when I hear Guruji’s words clearly in my heart. ‘…you take practice.’

And so I do. Even on the tough days, I roll out my mat and surrender to the rhythm, to the breath, to the practice…

Everyday is different, and everyday I am grateful for what this practice has given me.

‘…you take practice.’

You Might Also Enjoy:

About Jessica

© 2012-2023, Yoga Chikitsa, LLC

All rights reserved

Proudly powered by WordPress